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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ball — a dance
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rash — a series
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rash — hasty
  19. ball — a great time
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mine — for digging
  23. toast — bread
  24. pit — in a race

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com